04-06-2019, 11:24 AM
[#0000FF]I miss very few strikes on the fligs. There are several things that affect the success ratio.[/#0000FF]
[#0000FF]1. Size of the bait and how it is hooked. The GFs have large sharp hooks, but if the hook point is covered or the bait is too big or too dense you reduce the "bite" of the hook. I always check to make sure the hook point is exposed enough to grab the fish.[/#0000FF]
[#0000FF]2. Length of line between rod and fish. Fish them too far back and you do not have as direct a connection to the fish when they hit. And keep the line tight.[/#0000FF]
[#0000FF]3. Rod backbone and type of line. If your rod flexes too much or your line stretches too much you lose some punch. I use at least a medium to medium heavy rod with some power...and I use non-stretch braid for the main line.[/#0000FF]
[#0000FF]4. Activity level and aggressiveness of the fish. When the fish are really "on the chew" they "gulp and go". They get the baited flig well inside their mouths and the hook pulls into the corner of the mouth as they surge away. But if they just chomp and nibble in place you have to guess when to set the hook and it is easier to pull it out of the fishes' mouths without a good hookset.[/#0000FF]
[#0000FF]5. Leader length between sinker and flig. I have experimented a lot with that. And I seem to do best with about 12 to 14" of leader. There have been days when adjusting leader length has made a definite difference.
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[#0000FF]On my last two trips to Lindon, I only put on a flig during the last part of the trip...as I was kicking back in at a fairly brisk pace. And on both trips I caught my last three fish on fire tiger gorilla fligs...baited with carp meat. Carp meat (without skin) is firm enough to hold on the hook well, but is soft enough that the hook will pull through for a hookset. All the strikes were powerful surges that set the hook on the munch. But I still usually give a couple of followup whacks to be sure.[/#0000FF]
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[#0000FF]I suspect that for some reason Lincoln Beach has not yet attracted the number of cats that usually show up for spawning in the rocks and reeds in that area. Other cataholics who fish LB have also experienced slower action than usual. If you can find another area with more fish...and more aggressive fish...your luck should change.[/#0000FF]
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[#0000FF]And, although some reports have mentioned that they did best on white bass, I usually don't do as well on it until after the white bass spawn and there are a lot of young white bass in the food chain. On my last successful trips I did better on either large chub minnows or carp meat strips. I have only caught two cats so far this year on white bass.[/#0000FF]
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[#0000FF]It is still early. Some of the cats are just coming out of their winter torpor...and may not remember how to grab a hook and hold on. Keep on keepin' on and you will have better days.
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[#0000FF]1. Size of the bait and how it is hooked. The GFs have large sharp hooks, but if the hook point is covered or the bait is too big or too dense you reduce the "bite" of the hook. I always check to make sure the hook point is exposed enough to grab the fish.[/#0000FF]
[#0000FF]2. Length of line between rod and fish. Fish them too far back and you do not have as direct a connection to the fish when they hit. And keep the line tight.[/#0000FF]
[#0000FF]3. Rod backbone and type of line. If your rod flexes too much or your line stretches too much you lose some punch. I use at least a medium to medium heavy rod with some power...and I use non-stretch braid for the main line.[/#0000FF]
[#0000FF]4. Activity level and aggressiveness of the fish. When the fish are really "on the chew" they "gulp and go". They get the baited flig well inside their mouths and the hook pulls into the corner of the mouth as they surge away. But if they just chomp and nibble in place you have to guess when to set the hook and it is easier to pull it out of the fishes' mouths without a good hookset.[/#0000FF]
[#0000FF]5. Leader length between sinker and flig. I have experimented a lot with that. And I seem to do best with about 12 to 14" of leader. There have been days when adjusting leader length has made a definite difference.
[/#0000FF]
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[/#0000FF]
[#0000FF]On my last two trips to Lindon, I only put on a flig during the last part of the trip...as I was kicking back in at a fairly brisk pace. And on both trips I caught my last three fish on fire tiger gorilla fligs...baited with carp meat. Carp meat (without skin) is firm enough to hold on the hook well, but is soft enough that the hook will pull through for a hookset. All the strikes were powerful surges that set the hook on the munch. But I still usually give a couple of followup whacks to be sure.[/#0000FF]
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[/#0000FF]
[#0000FF]I suspect that for some reason Lincoln Beach has not yet attracted the number of cats that usually show up for spawning in the rocks and reeds in that area. Other cataholics who fish LB have also experienced slower action than usual. If you can find another area with more fish...and more aggressive fish...your luck should change.[/#0000FF]
[#0000FF]
[/#0000FF]
[#0000FF]And, although some reports have mentioned that they did best on white bass, I usually don't do as well on it until after the white bass spawn and there are a lot of young white bass in the food chain. On my last successful trips I did better on either large chub minnows or carp meat strips. I have only caught two cats so far this year on white bass.[/#0000FF]
[#0000FF]
[/#0000FF]
[#0000FF]It is still early. Some of the cats are just coming out of their winter torpor...and may not remember how to grab a hook and hold on. Keep on keepin' on and you will have better days.
[/#0000FF]
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